BOOK REVIEWS
English with an accent: Language, ideology, and
discrimination in the United States
Received: 5-aug-2013/Accepted: 9-sep-2013
Lippi-Green, R. (2012). English with an accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States. New York: Routledge. 354
pages. ISBN-10:0415559103/ ISBN-13:978-0415559102
The inherent versatility exhibited in the various
writing genres of talented linguist, Rosina Lippi-Green,
is as remarkable as her seemingly random interest in
quilting. Her ability to make connections with many
things, in addition to fabric, is neither coincidental
nor haphazard. It is far from surprising, therefore, that
this independent scholar claiming “mixed European
ancestry” utilizes three authorial guises: two for
penning historical fiction and a third for academic
writing endeavors, the most recent being English with
an accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination
in the United States. Extensive documentation and
factual data are but two persuasive means of support
she utilizes to focus on and convince readers that the
power of language upon social structures, especially
in the discrimination and subordination of others,
remains more strongly embedded than most people
realize.
The former University of Michigan professor
supplies various types of evidence to substantiate
her thesis that language is used as a powerful
tool of discrimination and subordination amongst
and between speakers of English, particularly
against those who speak variations of “standard”
English. The intensity of Lippi-Green’s passion for
exploring language discrimination goes beyond
multiple dimensions, capturing her audience and
comprehensibly guiding them along a well-informed
path toward insight into the pervasive power play
instituted by those who attest to the supremacy of
Standard American English.
When native speakers of U.S. English are
confronted with an accent which is foreign to
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them—either unfamiliar varieties of English, or
foreign (L2) accented English, the first decision they
make is whether or not they are going to participate.
[Often] members of the dominant language group
feel empowered to reject their responsibility, and
to demand that a person with an accent carry the
majority of the burden in the communicative act.
The accents we hear must go through our language
ideology filters. In extreme cases, we feel completely
justified in rejecting the communicative burden and
the person in front of us (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp.
72-73).
The author’s knack of infusing historical facts
and statistical data in an interesting way throughout
each of the 18 chapters, attest to her expansive
knowledge of history. Taking an excerpt from one letter
written in 1753 by Benjamin Franklin, who according
to Lippi-Green was “particularly irritated” by Germans
and the German language, and he expressed his fear
of multilingualism during a time when many German
immigrants had come to the United States. Whether
this fear was voiced by Benjamin Franklin or others,
the fact remains that public fear of multilingualism
has existed for years, and relates to shifting power
bases and the development of legislation. The awardwinning novelist delves deeply into commonly held
beliefs and attitudes toward American English variation
that often come with severe consequences when they
influence personal and institutional policy.
With down-to-earth confidence that finds
a pedantic agenda unnecessary, the Princeton
grad adeptly establishes a strong foundation and
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ISSN 0123-4641 • June - December 2013. Vol. 15 • Number 2 • Bogotá, Colombia. p. 310 - 311
English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States
creatively integrates timely information such as
ongoing or recent court cases alongside qualitative
and quantitative data. She proves her point about
how various systems have gotten away with heinous
crimes that can be traced to language discrimination.
One such case she highlights is that of a pregnant
Mexican woman from Oaxaca, who spoke Chitana,
an indigenous language. When the Oaxacan woman
delivered her infant daughter at a hospital in the deep
south, the Spanish-speaking social worker assigned to
assist the new mother was seemingly put off because
of the new mother’s inability to speak either English
or Spanish. In addition to the social worker’s own
personal prejudice, she also had a hidden agenda.
Claiming that the Chitana-speaking woman was an
unfit mother, the infant daughter was removed from
her custody and conveniently placed in the home of
the social worker’s attorney-friend, who wanted to
adopt a baby. After a lengthy, one year court case,
the baby was finally placed back in the hands of the
biological mother.
The author’s examples and explanations are as
varied as her tendency to connect them. In one of
Lippi-Green’s university classes, she presented and
compared the concept of standardized English to
that of standardized humans: they must be the same
color, shape, size, height, and weight; no variations
were acceptable. With other such comparisons, many
of which were laced with cynicism, humor, and irony,
the author establishes the variability and versatility of
language linking the reality that all spoken language is
variable: it changes. Furthermore, she cites inherent
human hypocrisy as a reality within and across groups
who judge others even when the integrity of their own
dialect or mode of speaking may be in question.
The author engages her reader in a multitude
of ways that preclude boredom, and even entertain
those of us with a penchant for language scrutiny,
psycholinguistics, or sociolinguistics. Lippi-Green is
as adept comparing the pros and cons of language
theory as she appears to be switching proverbial hats
and pseudonyms throughout her prolific, awardwinning writing career. English with an accent is
so comprehensive that it is likely to be considered
a reference book. Exhibiting characteristics of a
compendium or a handbook for multiple disciplines,
including social justice and particularly in the field of
sociolinguistics, the author infuses the textbook with
many bonuses: a companion website, which can be
utilized by instructor as well as student, an instructor’s
manual, audio and video clips, RSS Feeds, Blogs, Web
Links, as well as other resources. English with an
accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in
the United States is a resource to which this lifelong
learner, researcher, and reviewer will refer time and
again, continuously revealing yet another interesting
facet of language discrimination. In addition to those
fascinated by language, proponents of social justice
will likely find Lippi-Green’s book worth much more
than its weight.
References
Lippi-Green, R. (2012). English with an accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States.
New York: Routledge.
THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH LAURENCE holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and a graduate degree in Multicultural Studies. She received
certification as a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), spending more than fifteen years as a high school and
university educator in the U.S. and abroad. Her penchant for cultural encounters was key to overseas experiences in Cyprus, Germany,
Iran, and Korea. She persued an Ed.D at Texas A&M University—Kingsville while serving as International & Multicultural Programming
Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty.
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ISSN 0123-4641 • June -December 2013. Vol. 15 • Number 2 • Bogotá, Colombia. p. 310 -311
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